Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Your resume should list all experiences that may be relevant to your career choice. Don’t think you
have not had enough experiences just make the list. Experiences may include coursework, jobs,
volunteering, internships, externships and other relevant experiences. Demonstrate qualifications for a
given position by always tailoring your resume to the description of the position for which you are
applying.
Typically, resumes appear in reverse chronological order (most recent first) and are most commonly
presented in either a paragraph or bulleted format. Functional resumes highlight your skills and have a
different presentation, allowing a demonstration of your capabilities, regardless of experiences.
Examples of the paragraph, bullet, and functional resumes consisting of the same experiences, follow
the information provided in this handout.
Remember, resumes are fluid documents that need to change for each new application.
There is no one correct format. However, there are general guidelines about what to include on a
resume. A resume should look good, be concise and read well. Format and style are two different
things in resume writing. The examples in this hand out are all created in Word but you may wish to
create documents in a program that allows for more style such as InDesign or Illustrator. However,
when using these two programs save as a PDF document before sending via email.
In general, avoid using too much color on a resume and unless the information is VERY pertinent, stick
to one page. Employers of all stripes will not read past the first page unless the information is
applicable. When presenting a resume on a web site you may take a few more liberties than in a printed
resume, but be aware potential employers may wish to print the resume as well, and therefore your
digital resume should look good as a printed document as well.
Heading
The heading includes name and contact information. Your name should be in a larger font than the rest
of the resume. Contact information includes address, e-mail address, URL and telephone number(s).
Make sure your telephone number(s) have reliable recording devices (e.g., voice mail, answering
machine or someone who will take a message). Additionally, your out-going message needs to sound
professional.
Objectives/Summary of Qualifications
Objectives on a resume are optional. If you choose to include an objective statement make sure it is
clear and tailored to the job for which you are applying. Generalized objectives should be avoided.
A Summary of Qualifications is like a brief cover letter at the top of you resume and what follows
should support the statements made in the summary. It is not recommended to have both an objective
and a summary of qualifications.
Education
List all your post-secondary education in reverse chronological order. If you are a graduate student start
with your MFA or MA degree. Include the name of the institution, the name of your degree,
concentration area, GPA, and date of graduation or expected graduation. You may also wish to include
course highlights if they are relevant to the position for which you are applying.
Experience
There are many ways you can present your experiences. If you are writing a general resume, group your
experiences so that the most relevant experiences are listed first.
List your current and past experiences in reverse chronological order. Give the name of the company or
organization, followed by the name of your position, and then a description of what you did and/or the
skills you employed or gained (see sample resumes). Unless the dates are relevant, list them on the right
side of the page rather than down the left side. Use action verbs to strengthen descriptions of your
capabilities (see list of action verbs). Action verbs are more powerful and persuasive than passive
voice.
Other Sections
Experiences may be categorized into sections; some headings might be:
Activities
Leadership
Skills
Volunteer/Community Service
References
It is not necessary to state “references available upon request” on your resume. Instead, have a list of
three references with all pertinent contact information (name, address, telephone number[s] and e-mail)
on a separate typed sheet of paper.
Sometimes in written material you will find artist resumes referred to as artist bios or artist CV’s
(Curriculum Vitae). Regardless of the reference, an artist resume lists exhibitions, grants and awards,
reviews and education. The artist resume is used to inform potential gallery owners, art dealers, and
others about artwork, and to a certain extent, verify credibility of the artist. As with general resumes
there is no correct format, but there are general guidelines.
Heading
The heading includes your name and contact information. Your name should be in a larger font than the
rest of the resume. Contact information includes your address(es) (you may want to include both your
home and studio addresses), your telephone number(s), your e-mail address and your website address.
Make sure you have a reliable and professional means to handle telephone messages (i.e., answering
machine, voice mail or human). Again, the outgoing message needs to sound professional.
Exhibitions
Break this down into several categories or keep it as one category. Possible categories are:
Solo Exhibitions (sometimes called One Person Exhibitions)
Group Exhibitions
Juried Shows
It is an especially good idea to break this category down if you have had a significant number of solo
exhibitions.
Teaching
If you are applying to teach, it is important to list teaching experience on your resume. If you are not
interested in teaching don’t list this as a category. Many artist-in-residence programs include an
educational component, so listing teaching experience for those positions can be to your benefit.
Awards
If you have won awards at juried shows list them here rather than have a separate category for juried
shows. Additional awards may be scholarships, grants, or other commendations for which you or your
work has received an award (for example, “ Portland’s Outstanding Artist of the Year Award”).
Collections
If your work is included in a permanent collection (public or private) list that here.
Other categories may include a listing of Bodies of Work, Travel, and people with whom you have
studied.
Jo Q. Public
210 Main Str.
Springfield, WY 12345
(211) 987-6543
E-mail address
Skills Proficient in Mac OS and PC’s, Adobe Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator and
Pagemaker. Familiar with most Aridi and Quark programs.
Objective Gallery Director for the Springfield Museum of art capitalizing on art knowledge,
design, organizational and communication skills.
Skills
Art Knowledge * Identify and differentiate between various Western style artists
* Researched the advent of the Western style and how it has evolved
* Attended conferences on supporting the arts in Wyoming
Organizational * Collaborated with gallery staff in creating and mounting monthly exhibitions
* Maintained sales records and became familiar with basic accounting principles
* Initiated an outreach program to educate local school children about art
* Designed display case to better display art and craftworks
Communication * Created informational displays to educate the public about the history of advertising
* Facilitated educational discussion groups for children about art
* Wrote copy and created graphics for promotional display
* Negotiated with collectors on the sale of gallery artworks
Bob Brown
Address Phone number(s) e-mail
Selected Group Exhibitions Galerie Protee, “Portraits of Innocence,” Paris, April 2002
Galerie Albrecht, Munich, May 2001
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, September 1999
University of Michigan Slusser Gallery, Ann Arbor, March
1997
Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, July 1996
Articles and Reviews The Times of London, “Painting Can be Fresh,” June 2002
Art in America, article, December 1999
The Detroit News, “Local Artist Returns with Fame,” March
1997
Artweek, “Representational Art Makes a Comeback,” August
1996
Jo Q. Public
Address Phone number(s) e-mail
Education
Bodies of Work